Automatic slack-adjuster for railway-brakes.



K. A. BECKMAN.

AUTOMATIC SLACK ADJUSTER FOR RAILWAY BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED nc.2a. 1914.

1 283,634. Patented Nov. 5, 1918;

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Application filed- .Qecemher 28, 1914 Serial N0.879,337.

To all whom it may concern Be it known thatv I, KNUT ANTON BECK- MAN, a citizen of the Kingdom of Sweden, and resident of Observatoriegatan 22, Stock: holm, Sweden,

22, Stockholm, Sweden, have invented certain new and useful Im-v provements in Automatic Slack-Adjusters is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic slack adjusters for railway cars and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide automatically operatingmcchanism for. taking upthe slack in the brake mechanism due to wear on the brake shoes and otherc'auses, and also to provide mechanism which will permit the brakeshoes when released to move only a constant fixed distance away for Railway-Brakes, of which the following.

from the wheels.

"On account of a brake mechanism not being an absolutely stiff or rigid system it is impossible that the relative movements of the different members of the device may be determined bygeometrical laws alone. Bracalso shown that only about answers to the movement of the brake shoes. The remaining of the stroke are used for bending, stretchingand other deformations of the brake mechanism. 4

it follows that when the regulating Hence of; the slack is made dependent on thetravel or stroke of a certain member in the brake mechanism, this mustimp'air the accuracy The stroke of the above mentioned member is also dependent on'the power with which the brake is applied on account of the elasticity of the brake mechanism, or, what is the same, the travel or stroke of any member of a brake mechanism corresponds to the sum of the partial strokes during two different periods, of which one lasts from the beginning of the braking until the play or'slack is taken up and the. other finished. I p

The length" of the stroke during the first of these periods-is dependent on the play only, the length of the stroke during the s'econd periodis afunction of the braking power and the elasticity in the partsof the brake -mechanism placed between the above mentione'd member and the brakeblocks.

The invention comprises an automatic slack adjuster in the brake applying l'HGChfL-T whose post-oflice address is nism constructed. and arranged asahereinafter: described and claimed.

In order to illustrate the invention there are shown, byway of example, in the accompanying: drawings 1 two embodiments O the nvention.

Figure 1 shows a planv viewofthe slack adjusting mechanism disposed between the. cylinder. levers in an ordinary brake arrange; ment, and Figs. 2 and 3 show end views of certain parts of the. same. Fig. at isia side viewbf the.- extensible v.conne'cting rod con: nectmgithe cylinder levers ,gen't illustrated in Fig. 1, andgFig. 5a crosssection of the same;

. My improved be appliedto any kind and it can be placed in any suitable position in the same. mechanism.

I'have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the'brake shoes. and brake applyingniechanism, ast-he same are well known.

.In the'emhodiment slack ac l-j uster applied to an ordinary brake mechanism whereof the cylinder levers. 1 and 2, constituting apart of said mechanism,

are connected with the brake cylinder. A 111: the usual manner. r

'lhese levers. l and 2 are connected with action of the brake mechanismto take.

in the embodi slack adjuster is intendedto a brake applyingmechanism of herein illustrated the upislacklin applyingthebrakes. This'ex- V sensible connecting rod in the preferred form shown comprises a forked socket 20- 4 I 1,;preferably at about the center of its length, a forkedsocketSQ- pivoted to; the lever pivoted to the lever 2, preferably at about the center of its length, a swiveled rod 4 turna bleatits outer end in thesocket 20, a screwrodf 3 fixed at its outer. end in the socket :30, a sleeve 5 fastened atone end bythe pin '5" to the swiveled mat and provided at the other end with an interior screw-- thread which engages said screwrod 3, said sleeve constituting a single screw turnbuckle. The sleeve 5 has a conical exterior and is provided with collarsor nuts 18 and 18'.

The inner endsof the swiveled rodyt andscrewrodf 8 'terminatewithin the bore of the sleeve 5. leaving suificient space between them to permit-relative. adjustment "of said partsr As the sleeve is turned the-swiveledrod 4 turns with "it, but the non-rotating screwrod 3 ngaged by the screw-threads ofthe: sleeve is moved endwise thereby. F

A helical spring 16 is tightly wound on the cone shaped portion 5 of the sleeve 5 and is under tension between said portion and the collar Or nut 18. This spring is provided at its larger end with a tangential extension 16 having an eye 16 This spring is under tension between the enlarged portion of the sleeve andthe collar or nut 18 thereof. A helical spring 1? is tightly wound on the cone shaped portion 5 of said sleeve and is under tension between said cone shaped portion and the nut or collar 18. I

An angular lever 6 is pivoted on the stud which constitutes the connecting pivot be tween the inner end of the lever 1 and the outer end of the brake piston. This lever has an eye 6 at its inner end. A tension rod 7 is connected at one end to the tangential arm 16 of the spring 16 and slides at its upper part in the eye 6 and is provided at its upper end with an adjustable stop 7 held by a nut a. An expansive spiral spring 9 is disposed on said tension rod betwee the eye 6 and the adjustable stop 7. A link 8 connects the outer ends of the lever 6 with a stud 8 fixed on the cylinder and a link 19 connects said stud 8 with the eye 17 of the tangential extension 17 of the spring 17.

In the use of this automatic slack adjuster for railway ar brakes, when the brakes are applied, the mechanism first takes up the play room or lost motion constituting the desired slack. As the piston of the brake cylinder moves outwarc it carries outward the angular lever 6 and the link 8 connected with the fixed studs 8 causes lever to swing upward against spring 9. The resistance of the spring 9 causes the rod 7 to pull the extension 16 of the helical spring 16 upward. This upward pull on said extension tends to tighten said spring on the sleeve 5 so that sufficient friction is created to cause said sleeve to turn. This turning of the sleeve causes the rod 3 to move outward, whereby the slack is taken up. As the brakes become set the friction between the threads of the rod 3 and sleeve 5 prevent further turning of the sleeve and the further motion of the brake piston to firmly set the brakes is taken up by the spring 9, the eye end 6 thereof moving upward on the rod 7 against the tension of said spring. On the release of the brakes, the cylinder piston moves inward and the angular lever (3 is swung back to normal position, permitting the rod 7 to move downward. This downward movement of said rod pushes the arm 16 downward and this movement tends to loosen the spring 16 and permit it to turn on the sleeve 5. The link 19 connected with the eye 17 of the extension 17 of the spring 17 holds said spring tight on the sleeve 5 and prevents the backward turning thereof during the brake release.

the eye end of said The present slack adjuster is also entirely independent of the playrooms in the bolt holes and the like of the brake mechanism.

Having thus described my invention I. de elare that what I claim is 1.. In an automatic slack adjuster the combination of a brake mechanism including a brake cylinder, an angular lever carried by the piston of said cylinder, an extensible connecting rod disposed between levers of said brake mechanism and including a turn buckle, and an actuating means connecting said angular lever with said turnbuckle for turning it in direction for lessening the slack when the brake is applied, said means having an auxiliary yielding device adapted to take up the excess motion of said actuating means when the frictional resistance of the turnbuckle checks the rotation thereof.

'2. In an automatic slack adjuster the com bination of a brake mechanism including a brake cylinder, an angular lever carried by the piston of said cylinder, an extensible connecting rod disposed between levers of said brake mechanism and including a turnbuckle, an actuating means connecting said angular lever. with said turnbuckle for turning it in direction for lessening the slack when the brake is applied, said means having an auxiliary yielding device adapted to take up the excess motion of said actuating means when the frictional resistance of the turnbuckle checks the rotation thereof, and a stop device for holding said turnbuckle against, reverse motion on release of the brakes.

3. In an automatic slack adjuster the combination of a brake mechanism including a brake cylinder, an angular lever carried by the piston of said cylinder and provided with an eye at one end, an extensible connecting rod disposed between levers of said brake mechanism and including a conical turnbuckle, a conical spiral spring wound friction tight on said conical turnbuckle and provided with a lateral extension, a slide rod pivoted to said extension and movable in said eye, a link connecting the other end of said lever with a fixed stud, and a spring disposed on said slide rod above said eye.

4. In an automatic slack adjuster the combination of a brake mechanism including a brake cylinder, an angular lever carried by the piston of said cylinder and provided with an eye at one end, an extensible connecting rod disposed between levers of said brake mechanism and including a conical turnbuckle, a conical spiral spring wound friction tight on said conical turnbuckle and provided with a lateral extension, a slide rod pivoted to said extension and movable in said eye, a link connecting the other end of said lever with a fixed stud, a spring disposed on said slide rod above said eye, and

a stop device for holding said turnbuckle against reverse motion on release of the brakes.

5. In an automatic slack adjuster the com bination of a brake mechanism including 'a brake cylinder, an angular lever carried by the piston of said cylinder and provided with an eye at one end, an extensible connecting rod disposed between levers of said brake mechanism and including a conical turnbuckle, a conical spiral spring wound friction tight on said conical turnbuckle and provided with a lateral extension, a slide rod pivoted to said extension and movable in said eye, a link connecting the other end of said lever with a fixed stud, a spring disposed on said slide rod above said eye, and a stop device for holding said turnbuckle against reverse motion on release of the brakes, consisting of another conical spiral spring wound friction tight on said conical turnbuckle and provided with a lateral extension at its larger end and a link connecting said lateral extension with a fixed stud.

6. In an automatic slack adjuster the combination of a brake mechanism including a brake cylinder, an extensible connecting rod bination of a brake mechanism, means for setting the brakes, a slack adjuster connected therewith, and connected with the brake setting mechanism and adapted to take up the excess motion of .parts of said mechanism when the frictional resistance of other ment thereof.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KNUT ANTON BECKMAN. Witnesses:

GRETA PRIM, SALLY J. WILE.

parts arrests the move- Copies of this patent may'be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

an auxiliary yielding device 40 

